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I haven't found a straight answer to this question in documentations and questions: I need to install PHPMyAdmin on my computer to access a distant MySQL database. Do I need to use a local MySQL server in this case?

Strawberry
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Stéphane Ascoët
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    What role would the local server play? No, you don't need it, just like you don't need an FM transmitter to listen to the radio. But you do need to install a local **web** server if you want to use PHPMyAdmin. – Álvaro González Jul 25 '14 at 14:32

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No. To use phpMyAdmin, you'll need a client (your local web browser), a web server, and a MySQL instance -- and those three can exist in any combination that works for you. Just mix and match servers. I'd say the most typical installation is a combination web server and MySQL server running on one machine and accessed across the network from another machine. Something common with many shared hosts is having all three on separate machines (obviously your client is your own machine and the host runs MySQL and the webserver on two different machines in this case).

To accomplish this, your servers need to be able to talk to each other and MySQL has to allow access from the web server. Connections from your web browser to the web server are usually unrestricted and without problem. From the web server to MySQL can be difficult if they're not on the same machine because some installations/hosts block the MySQL port at the network level or set MySQL permissions to not allow external access.

So anyway, to answer your question, no, in that case you do not need MySQL installed locally because you'll run phpMyAdmin either on the same server as the MySQL machine or configure phpMyAdmin on your webserver to talk to the MySQL server and won't need to run any server software on your local machine. Hope that makes sense.

Isaac Bennetch
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